Coupling for watchband and the like

ABSTRACT

A COUPLING FOR RELEASABLY ATTACHING A WATCHBAND OR THE LIKE TO A WATCH OR OTHER PIECE OF JEWELRY COMPRISES A FIRST, GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL PORTION ADAPTED TO RELEASABLY ENGAGE AN ELONGATED PIN ON THE WATCH AND A SECOND PORTION WHICH MAY BE FIXED OR RELEASABLY SECURED TO THE END OF THE BAND. THE FIRST PORTION HAS AN INNER PARTIALLY CYLINDRICAL PORTION WHICH IS NORMALLY ROTATABLE AGAINST THE INNER SURFACE. IN ONE POSITION THE INNER CYLINDRICAL MEMBER AND THE FIRST CYLINDRICAL MEMBER ENCIRCLE THE ELONGATED PIN WHEREAS IN ITS OPEN POSITION THE COUPLING CAN BE DETACHED FROM THE PIN. THE SECOND PORTION IS CONSTRUCTED WITH TWO EARS HAVING ALIGNED APERTURES RESPECTIVELY LOCATED THEREIN WHICH ENGAGE A SPRING-LOADED PIN IN THE END OF THE WATCHBAND THEREBY ENABLING THE COUPLING TO BE RELEASED FROM THE BAND IF DESIRED.

United States Patent @fice 3,605,212 Patented Sept. 20, 1971 3,605,212 COUPLING FOR WATCHBAND AND THE LIKE Mates A. Brunei, 1113 Wynnbrook Place, Secaue, Pa. 19018 Filed Oct. 14, 1969, Ser. No. 866,325 Int. Cl. A440 /18 US. Cl. 24-265WS 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A coupling for releasably attaching a watchband or the like to a watch or other piece of jewelry comprises a first, generally cylindrical portion adapted to releasably engage an elongated pin on the watch and a second portion which may be fixed or releasably secured to the end of the band. The first portion has an inner partially cylindrical portion which is normally rotatable against the inner surface. In one position the inner cylindrical member and the first cylindrical member encircle the elongated pin whereas in its open position the coupling can be detached from the pin. The second portion is constructed with two ears having aligned apertures respectively located therein which engage a spring-loaded pin in the end of the watchband thereby enabling the coupling to be released from the band if desired.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a coupling attachable to a watch or other piece of jewelry which enables the watchband or equivalent to be manually and easily removed from the jewelry or reattached at will to it.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of the coupling according to one form of the present invention attached to a watch and watchband both shown in phantom.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the assembly showin FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view taken along the line 33 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 5, partially broken away, taken along the line 4-4 in FIG. 5.

FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of another form of the invention shown permanently attached to a watchband or the like.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS One form of the coupling according to the present invention indicated generally at the numeral is shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. It comprises a first manually releasable portion 10a which may be coupled to the watchband pin 11 of a watch or other piece of jewelry indicated generally at the numeral 12. It also comprises a watchband-engaging portion indicated generally at the numeral 10b. This portion, includes two aligned apertures 14 formed in downwardly bent portions 15a and 15b. The apertures 14 are engaged by a spring-loaded pin 16 which is passed through the terminal portion 17 of the watchband 18 in the usual way. The spring-loaded pin 10 may be substantially identical but somewhat smaller than the pin 11.

The watch-engaging portion 10a includes an almost cylindrical member 19 which is joined at one end to the member 10b. Within the member 19 there is located a somewhat similarly shaped movable closure member 20 disposed for rotary movement inside and next to the member 19. The member 20 is held to the member 19 by a generally elongated, C-sectioned portion 22 of the member 19. As shown in FIG. 3, the member 22 fits snugly around opposite portions of the side edges of the member 20. In the position shown in FIGS. 1-3, the

member 20 is at its extreme counter-clockwise position with the ends 20a abutting the lower surface of the region at which the portions 10a and 10b join. In this position, of course, the coupling 10 and the watchband 18 are afiixed to the watch 12.

In order to detach the coupling 10 and watchband 18 from the watch it is only necessary to insert ones fingernail, for example, in the space 23 between the ends 20a as shown in FIG. 3 and then move the member downward until the ends 20a are stopped near or against the member 22. Then the portion 10a can be removed from the pin 11. To clean the band it is very simple for example, to drop the coupling 10 and the watchband 18 into a detergent solution or other solvent to remove the dirt that may have accumulated therein. Certain types of expansion wrist watchbands such as those which may be twisted freely have constructions which are particularly susceptible to the entry of dirt and other foreign substances. When the watchband has been completely cleaned, or when it is desired to substitute a different watchband, the coupling 10 wtih the member 20 in its most clockwise position is slipped around the pin 11 of the watch and then the wearers fingernail is placed under the ends 20a and moved upwards (counterclockwise) until the ends 20a again abut the junction areas of the portions 10a and 1%. It will be noted that the ends 2011 prevent the member 20 from slipping through the space between the folded-over portions of the member 22.

In the form of the invention previously explained the coupling was removable both from the watch and the band. However, the coupling may alternatively be fixed to the band and just be removable from the watch as in FIGS. 4 and 5. In those figures the coupling 25 is somewhat different from the one previously described. It comprises an outer cylindrical watch-engaging portion 26 having a flat portion 2611. There is another generally cylindrical member 20' which is substantially the same as member 20 and which is rotatable within a third generally cylindrical member 27 which is aflixed to the inner surface of portion 26. The opening and closing of the coupling is in the same way as before.

Of course, the detachable coupling 10 of FIGS. 1-3 can be substituted for the partially attached coupling 25 if the ears 15a and 15b are removed. Similarly the closure 25 with the addition of ears 15a and 15b can be converted to a completely independent coupling as in FIGS. 1-3.

I claim:

1. A coupling for jewelry or like objects comprising a first portion attachable to said object and including means manually rotatable for releasably encircling an elongated portion of said object, and a second portion attached to said first portion and including means for attachment to a band, said first portion including a first partially cylindrical member attached to said second portion and a second partially cylindrical member held rotatably inside and against said first member, and means projecting inwardly from the cylindrical surface of said first member for securing said second member rotatably inside said first member.

2. The coupling according to claim 1 wherein said second partially cylindrical member includes an outer end region that is bent generally outward thereby to limit the movement of said second member when it is brought into abutment against the end of said first member which is joined to said second portion.

3. The coupling according to claim 1 wherein said second partially cylindrical member has a portion of its outer end region removed thereby to enable the insertion of a fingernail or other instrument to move said second cylindrical member rotatably from its extreme closed position to a more open one.

4. The coupling according to claim 1 wherein said second portion includes a central portion and a pair of lateral portions disposed on each side of said central portion, said lateral portions being bent substantially transversely to said central portion and including respective aligned apertures formed therein.

5. The coupling according to claim 1 wherein said second portion is permanently fixed to said band.

6. The coupling according to claim 1 wherein said inwardly projecting means comprises a terminal portion on said first member which is folded inwardly over said second member and keeps said second member in a snug frictional grip, thereby enabling said second cylindrical member to be retained in its closed position with its end abutting one end of said first partially cylindrical memher or in any other desired position.

7. The coupling according to claim 1 with the addition of a third partially cylindrical member secured inside said first partially cylindrical member and wherein said second partially cylindrical member rotates frictionally between said first and third cylindrical members.

8. The coupling according to claim 7 wherein said inwardly projecting means comprise flattened portions on said first partially cylindrical member, said third cylindrical member having its ends positioned between said flattened portions thereby preventing the lateral removal of said third partially cylindrical member from said first partially cylindrical member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 927,827 7/1909 Burgess 24157P 1,532,632 4/1925 Newman 24265WS 1,701,339 2/1929 Roy 24265WS 2,850,783 9/1958 Megar 24265WS DONALD A. GRIFFIN, Primary Examiner 

